Google is firing its own recruiters as hiring grinds to a halt

Google is implementing more job cuts as part of its cost-saving measures, with plans to lay off hundreds of employees responsible for hiring new staff.

This move follows previous layoffs by Google's parent company, Alphabet, and underscores the company's ongoing efforts to control expenses.

What

• Google has announced its intention to let go of numerous employees responsible for hiring new staff as part of its ongoing cost-reduction strategy.
• Alphabet, Google's parent company, eliminated 12,000 jobs in January, which accounted for approximately 6% of its total workforce.

• This decision was driven by economic challenges, particularly in its core advertising business, which adversely impacted the company's financial performance last year.
• During Google's July earnings call, CEO Sundar Pichai mentioned that the company remained committed to managing its spending and reducing hiring at a slower pace.

Courtenay Mencini, a Google spokesperson, stated that Google continues to hire skilled engineers but at a more moderate rate, resulting in reduced recruiter workloads and the need to downsize the recruiting team for greater efficiency.

Impact and implications

• Google will reduce the size of its global recruiting team by several hundred members, although the majority of the team will remain intact.

• The retained team will concentrate on hiring for critical positions, such as top engineering talent.

• However, Google did not disclose the exact number of layoffs in this department.

• It's important to note that the reductions in the recruiting team are distinct from any broader job cuts, and the affected employees will receive support in the form of severance packages and other benefits.

Numerous individuals associated with Google expressed their disappointment and shared their reactions to the news on LinkedIn.

In 2021, Alphabet experienced rapid growth, hiring an additional 50,000 people due to high demand during the pandemic, which bolstered profits. However, last year, their digital advertising business slowed as advertisers reduced spending due to economic concerns. This year, Alphabet is strongly focused on reducing costs to stabilize the business.

In July, Google's profits increased by nearly 15% year-on-year, thanks to improved performance in Search and YouTube ads.

According to a CNN report, Alphabet's employee count was 190,234 at the end of 2022 but dropped to 181,798 by June.

Additionally, several major tech companies like Meta and Microsoft have also implemented substantial layoffs this year to address economic challenges and cut costs.